Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route compulsory purchase orders, claims and settlements: EIR release

FOI reference: FOI/18/03616  
Date received: 4 December 2018
Date responded: 7 January 2019

 

 

1. Total number of Compulsory Purchase Order claims made to date.
2. Total estimated budget for the CPOs
3. Number of CPO claims settled to date(whether fully or partially).
4. Total value of the CPO claims settled to date (fully and partially).
5. Number of properties demolished in the construction of the AWPR.

 

 

As the information you have requested is ‘environmental information’ for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004 (EIRs), we are required to deal with your request under those Regulations. We are applying the exemption at section 39(2) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (FOISA), so that we do not also have to deal with your request under FOISA.

This exemption is subject to the ‘public interest test’. Therefore, taking account of all the circumstances of this case, we have considered if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption. We have found that, on balance, the public interest lies in favour of upholding the exemption, because there is no public interest in dealing with the same request under two different regimes. This is essentially a technical point and has no material effect on the outcome of your request.

I have laid out our response under headings related to number assigned to the points you have raised as shown above:

Point 1:
To the 4 December 2018 we had received 209 claims from Landowners who were the subject of a CPO on the AWPR.

Point 2:
The estimated total land compensation for land acquired for the construction and maintenance of the AWPR, including the amount already paid to 4 December 2018, is £127.7m.

 

Point 3:
To the 4 December 2018, 52 claims for land have been paid on a full and final basis as is normal for such an infrastructure project. Transport Scotland cannot consider a claim until one has been made by the landowner or their agent and a full and final settlement can only be reached once the landowner or their agent indicate that they wish to conclude matters.
We have also made advance payments on the remaining 157 claims for landowners affected by the AWPR CPO.
In addition, the Scottish Ministers acquired 20 other land interests in relation to the AWPR on a voluntary basis which were not subject to CPO.

Point 4:
The amount of spend on the purchase of land required for the AWPR, including voluntary acquisitions, to the date of your request is £102.6m. This figure includes payments which have been made in full and final and advance payments of compensation. These figures include the total compensation package paid at each stage including Land Agent Fees, Legal Fees, District Valuer’s Fees and VAT where applicable.

Point 5:
17 properties were demolished as part of the AWPR.

 

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses